Behind The Scene: Omiai
by regulusgal
Summary: After his biggest love project ended successfully, Lory Takarada decides to begin another one. The subject? Tsuruga Ren's loyal manager. Spin-off of 'The Next Episode', collection of short chapters.
1. Behind The Scene 1

**Behind the Scene #1**

**Timeline: 'The Next Episode' Chapter 1**

When Ren dropped him off at his apartment complex, Yashiro Yukihito was in euphoria.

How could he not?

His charge, the infamous on-time prince, Japanese number one actor and bachelor, Tsuruga Ren, had finally had the gall to confess to the love of his life, the newbie actress KYOKO (real name: Mogami Kyoko). And the feelings had been somehow reciprocated, and Ren was no longer an available bachelor for the rest of the Japanese women population.

And during the PV shoot, Yukihito had known better than what other people knew - may be except Kotonami Kanae, Kyoko's best friend - that the new pair of lovebirds had kissed for real.

Yes, people, Tsuruga Ren and Mogami Kyoko - the couple whom people would have never thought could be that chummy, with Kyoko being a traditional person - had _kissed in front of the other people in the site_, and it had definitely _not _been acting.

Giggling to himself like a fangirl he was, he fished his pockets for his key to unlock the door of his apartment while thinking about what the couple would be doing tonight. Ren had mentioned a dinner at his condominium, and now the bespectacled man realized something.

The tall actor hadmade mention of it in a rather casual manner, as if having dinner with Kyoko at his spacious apartment had been a routine.

And Yukihito had been so fussy about them not spending time more with each other.

Now he, as the first worshipper of the pairing, felt utterly stupid for not noticing it.

Well, at least they were together now.

His cell phone rang, and he automatically reached for his trusted latex surgical gloves before taki g his phone out of his briefcase. Glancing at the display, he was mildly surprised when he saw Lory Takarada's office number. "Yashiro speaking."

"_Yashiro-kun,_" the deep baritone that belonged to his employer said gruffly. "_Can you come to my office now?_"

The brunette was sure that he would not like this. "Now, as in _right now_, Sir?"

"_Why of course! Can't you?_"

"No! Er, I mean yes! Yes, of course I can come! To your office at LME, correct?"

It was silent for just a short while. "_You know what,Yashiro-kun?_" Lory said, breaking the really short silence. "_Forget about going to my office; I'll send someone to come and get you at your place. Is that understood?_"

What else could Yukihito say other than a 'Yes, Sir!'?

* * *

The ever loyal employee of LME and manager of Tsuruga Ren gaped when Sebastian - his chauffeur for the night - brought him to Takarada's castle - I mean, mansion - in the flamboyant man's ever trusted gold Hummer.

If Lory had personally called him to come to his residence, then what he was going to talk about with him was surely more than just about work. As eccentric as he was, Lory Takarada never brought his work back to his home - although he did share some stories about his employees to his granddaughter, Maria.

Steeling himself, Yukihito walked into the lavish building, only to be quickly met again by Sebastian who was to show him the way. He was brought to a very large room with comfy large bean bags and an enormous screen on the wall, which at the moment was showing...

... a scene of a love simulation game?

He then spotted the owner of the house sitting on one of the bean bags, mulling over his choices of what the heroine should cook for the guy. Seeing that Yukihito was too speechless for his own good, Sebastian cleared his throat loudly.

That managed to get Lory's attention away from the screen.

"Yashiro-kun!" the president of LME greeted Yukihito, too loud for the man with glasses. "You're here! Come! What do you think I should choose!"

Hesitantly, the brunette looked at the screen. The choices were all hot food suitable for chilly weather. "Is there any difference...?"

"Of course there is!" the mustached man huffed. "Of course I like cheese gratin the most, but in this game it is more liked by the other guy character rather than _this _character I'm trying to capture. And _nabe_ was out of question, because this guy's not a family type of guy. That leaves-"

"The chicken pot pie," Yukihito cut him abruptly, stating the obvious. "There, you have the answer now."

Lory blinked for a while, clearly dumbfounded. He stared back and forth between his employee and the screen. "Uh, you're right. Pot pie it is."

"Sir, you're not seriously calling me here to help you solve this simulation game, are you?" Yukihito asked warily.

"No, I'm not," the reply came quickly, calming the manager a bit. "But it's indeed about love."

Now he wanted to smack himself for being too naive to believe the president right away.

"Yashiro-kun, you're aware that your charge, Ren, is in a romantic relationship with Mogami-kun, aren't you?" Lory asked in a serious tone.

Yukihito blinked. "Yes, I do know. I'm his manager, after all." Guessing where this conversation was going, he quickly added, "And of course I'll do everything in my capability so that this relationship of theirs remains a secret from public and media until they decided to-"

"Although your thoughts are well-appreciated, that's not what I'm talking about, you fool!"

The bespectacled man flinched.

Lory then continued. "What about you?"

"About... me?" Yukihito repeated unsurely, pointing at himself.

The boss nodded dramatically. "Yes, you."

"What do you mean, Sir?"

"Of course I'm talking about your love life!" Lory blared. "Goodness, you're almost as dense and serious as your charge that you don't pay attention to your romantic aspect which needs a woman to-"

Yukihito seriously did not like where this was going. "Whoa, President, please. I know that I am already near my 30s and people will frown at me if I am not getting married soon, but with how work is going-"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," his employer clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Why are you and Ren so alike?"

"Err... Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?" the brunette asked.

"In some aspect, yes, but not in this one! Don't tell me you're also blind to love!"

That offended Yukihito. "Excuse me, Sir, but I am perfectly normal and longing for a romantic relationship with someone!"

Lory suddenly smirked. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am."

"Then, you wouldn't mind if I introduce you to some women I know, would you?"

Yukihito blinked, taken aback by what Lory had said. "Pardon me?"

"Yashiro Yukihito," the flamboyant man said, using his best employer tone. "I'll have you go on several _omiai_ with the women of my choice. If by the end of this year you don't find yourself a wife-to-be, then I shall fire you from your position as Ren's manager. And the first _omiai _is tomorrow, at Blue Wars, 7pm. You'd better not forget, or I'll personally hunt your ass and drag you there."

The bespectacled man shivered in fright. _This is not happening!_

* * *

When Yukihito got home, he called Ren sluggishly.

"_Hello?_" the deep voice of his charge said when the call was received.

"Ren..." the brunette murmured.

"_Yes?_"

"I hate you."

* * *

**Ever wonder why Ren seemed to have a lot of free time in 'The Next Episode'? Now you have the answer.**

**This is a pilot chapter. I might or might not continue this depending on the reviews I get, so...**

**Please review :) Thank you!**

**P.S.: I'm also welcoming ideas of the kinds of women you want our dear poor Yashiro to meet in his blind dates ;) Of course, you'll be credited as the owner of the idea if it is used in the chapter.**


	2. Behind The Scene 2

**I'm so happy that there are a lot of response for this story to continue! Some even gave me suggestions on what kind of woman Yashiro should date. I'll definitely use it for the good time :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip-Beat!**

* * *

**Behind The Scene #2**

**Timeline: 'The Next Episode' Chapter 2**

Yashiro Yukihito took pride of himself being a man with righteous values – at least, according to him. He was – according to him again – someone who would never take his friends for granted and relish in joy for their suffering.

Now he realized he was totally wrong.

And it all had started from the early morning, when the sun had not even yet risen...

* * *

_Yukihito opened the door of the silver Porsche where Ren had been waiting in on the driver's seat._

_From the look that his tall charge was giving to him, the brunette knew that he had to give Ren a very good explanation for the very cryptic conversation they had had the night before._

_The very one where Yukihito had said that he hated the actor._

_Not waiting long, Ren broke the silence in the car. "So, Yashiro-san, mind telling me what last night's about?"_

_And, not seeing any other option, the manager told him all about Lory's outrageous order – or rather, absolute command. To Yukihito's further aggravation, Ren dared to bark a very long, amused laugh right in front of his face._

_The reason was rather focused on the safety of both of them than his dignity – especially since the silver sports car began to swerve to the wrong lane and almost collided side to side into the pedestrian._

_In the end, after Ren had exhausted himself laughing, something that was very out of character of him, the only thing the dark-haired man told Yukihito was, "You can't do anything; just go with it."_

_Giving up on making Ren take his side, Yukihito just let the actor continue driving to their first destination for work._

_Some moments later, when Ren was on set, Lory called his phone – which of course was answered by Yukihito –telling Ren to go to LME, as something urgent had happened to Kyoko._

_For a moment, Yukihito felt that maybe – just maybe – this was a help from the gods so that he could avoid whatever blind date Lory had set up for him today._

* * *

He was shortly proven wrong.

Yukihito did not attend the urgent meeting – which was attended by Akatoki siblings and Fuwa Sho, the source of all ridiculous menace – but when almost everyone was out from Lory's office, the flamboyant president called him in...

... just to remind him about the blind date and threaten to drag him from wherever he was to 'Blue Wars' if he ever thought of ditching.

And now he felt extremely guilty towards Kyoko – so deep in guilt that he did not even notice Ren calling him again and again, wanting to snap his manager out of whatever Yukihito was in and telling the bespectacled man that they had arrived at their next destination.

It took a while for Yukihito to gather his thoughts together, shove it into the deepest part of his mind, and focused on his job.

And Ren just had to ask when they were in his dressing room. "Hey, Yashiro-san, so how's your date like today? Someone I know personally?"

Yukihito groaned in frustration.

* * *

Lory kept true to his word.

Nearing 6 in the evening, Ren and Yashiro were walking towards the parking lot when they suddenly were face to face with Sebastian. The tight-lipped servant bowed before them and said, "Good evening, Yashiro-sama. Master has requested for me to escort you back to LME."

While Ren was amused over being disregarded by the dark-skinned butler, Yukihito wished in that instant that he could have time to dig his own grave.

"So, Yashiro-san," Ren asked with a small smile. "I'll see you two days from now?"

"Err... Yeah," Yukihito replied wryly. _Let's just hope that I still live after tonight. _"At 8.30. Give Kyoko-chan my regards."

With that, Ren drove away in his car, leaving Yukihito in his apparent doom, with Sebastian beside him, waiting patiently.

* * *

Yukihito had been thinking that Lory would pit him against a very rowdy woman _–_ may be not as rowdy as Lory, but still _–_ but the sight in front of him was a complete surprise.

Because once they reached 'Blue Wars', Sebastian lead him to a table where a woman in tidy yet simple suit sat. She wore a pair of thin-framed glasses, and her dark brown hair was tied back on her nape.

He quickly recognized her as the manager of LME's only Matsunai Ruriko. His inner self sighed in relief.

What harm could this _very __normal _woman bring, anyway?

The woman, whose name Yukihito recalled as Higashida Seiko, looked surprised as well. After exchanging their usual greeting as colleagues at work, he sat down facing her _–_ it was the only space available, after all, so he did not have much choice _–_ only to hear something weird.

"But I didn't imagine," Higashida said, "that the manager the President told me needing my help in work is you, Yashiro-san."

His head instantly snapped up in confusion. "Pardon?"

Higashida fidgeted on her seat, suddenly feeling nervous. The man before her had been known for his efficiency in managing the infamous Tsuruga Ren that all talent managers in LME almost regarded him as a god in the field. To be honest, she could not even believe Lory when the flamboyant man told her that Yukihito needed _her help _in _managing Tsuruga Ren's schedule_. Heck, if she were to be trusted with the task, she did not think she could even survive a day.

"The President told me that you needed my help in work," she timidly said. "Isn't that why you set up this dinner meeting, Yashiro-san?"

Now Yukihito felt that strangling his boss might be justified.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lory shed his tears in the surveillance room of LME's security department, his lips pouting like a child deprived of his candies.

Despite his _very_ hard work in choosing the perfect woman fitting Yukihito's interests and setting them up in the blind date dinner, he now found himself having to be satisfied with the scene of the pair having dinner as usual.

And 'by usual' meant that there was no spark of love whatsoever between them.

But a moment later, a smirk graced Lory's face. Looking at the circumstances, Yukihito might pose more difficulties in love than Ren had done before. And how Lory Takarada loved challenges.

He quickly snapped his phone open and dialed some numbers. "It's me," he said. "You told me some time ago that you're looking for someone, right? I think I might have found a suitable one for you."

* * *

**A bit boring, you say? This is only the beginning of Lory's scheme!**

**And does Ruriko's manager have an actual name? If so, then please let me know and I'll edit it.**

**Please review :) Thank you!**


	3. Behind The Scene 3

**So today is Friday the 13th... I don't care one bit. But maybe Yashiro will care, especially in this chapter.**

**Thank you for all readers who keep supporting this story, and special thanks for kaitlynchosenisme for agreeing to be the Beta-reader for 'Behind The Scene: Omiai' and Beta-ing this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Skip-Beat!**

* * *

**Behind The Scene #3**

**Timeline: 'The Next Episode' Chapter 3 Time-Skip**

It had been a somewhat very good day for our Yashiro Yukihito.

The blind date the day before had been better than what he had thought. Higashida had been shy at first, but had been fast to get comfortable with. If it was with women like Higashida every blind date, Yukihito was sure he could endure it somehow.

He made a self-note to not think bad about Lory, and try to see the blind date as a new opportunity. He was, indeed, in a need of a relationship as quick as possible, after all, with his family starting to press him about the matter of marriage.

Yukihito had decided to see Lory's blind dates as better opportunities than the _omiai_ his parents had offered him.

At the present day, he only spent his day following Ren around, doing his job, while the actor worked hard to earn his day off for the next day to help Kyoko moving in to Marina's house. It had been difficult for him to shift Ren's already packed schedule around – shifting his day off in the process – but who was he kidding? He was Yashiro Yukihito, after all.

And so far, there was no mention of another blind date from Lory.

Everything was good...

* * *

...Not.

Once again, the two came face-to-face with Sebastian on their way out of the studio. The dark butler, dressed in his usual white Arabian garb, bowed before them like what he usually did. "Good evening, Tsuruga-sama, Yashiro-sama."

"Good day to you too," Tsuruga replied with a smile, only to be ignored – again.

"Yashiro-sama, if you please follow me," the butler said.

Yukihito gaped in confusion. "What?" he asked lamely. "I'm not informed that there will be another blind date today."

"I do not understand what you are talking about, Yashiro-sama," Sebastian said. "The Master only instructed me to bring you some place."

"And where is this 'some place'?" Yukihito asked curiously. _This doesn't sound good._

"Please do not ask question and just follow me." With that, the bespectacled manager was dragged by his collar by the man dressed in Arabian garb.

Yukihito shot Ren a look that practically screamed, 'Help me!' – only to be met by a smiling tall actor who only exclaimed while smiling gentlemanly like usual, "Just make sure he's returned safely back home, okay?"

"Ren!"

"I'll see you two days from now, Yashiro-san! Please enjoy your date!" And Ren was gone.

_Ren_, Yukihito grumbled inwardly. _I so damn hate you!_

* * *

Much to Yukihito's shock, the place Sebastian dropped him off at was...

...none other than a cabaret shop called 'Snack Smile'.

He snapped his head around, wanting to ask the silent butler about what Lory wanted of him, only to realize that the golden Hummer, the car used to bring him there, was already gone from its place.

"Yashiro Yukihito-san?"

Yukihito snapped around again to find a woman in pink dress adorned with red flowers standing before him. Her lush chocolate hair was pulled back into a ponytail on the back of her head; some loose tresses framed her small face, a perfect complement for her twinkling chocolate brown eyes. Although the combination of short dress and a ponytail was a bit childish for Yukihito, he had to admit that this woman, in fact, had her own charms.

To conclude it all, she was a pretty woman.

"Yashiro Yukihito-san?" she asked again, tilting her head sweetly to the side.

He was snapped out of his trance. "Uh, yes," he sputtered with a blushing face. "Yes, I'm Yashiro."

"Good to know that I didn't get the wrong person," she said with a sweet, friendly smile. "Welcome to 'Snack Smile'. My name is Shimura Tae, and I will be your escort today. I was contacted by Takarada-san yesterday, and he told me that you wanted a date with me?"

"What?" Yukihito was confused. "No, I wasn't–"

The next moment, he found his eyes covered by a hand that gripped his face hard on the temples, as if it tried to crush his skull. Although his ears were ringing due to the pain, he could still hear Shimura talking with a sweet, threatening tone. "You want a date with me, _right_?"

"Uh," he chocked, "Yes."

The excruciating torture on his temples was instantly gone and Shimura smiled sweetly, all flowery and stuffs as her background. _Am I just imagining that? _Yashiro thought, rubbing his eyes in disbelief. _It looks a lot like Ren!_

"Good," she said. "Now let's go in!"

_What am I landing myself into? _Yukihito sighed inwardly, noticing his cracked glasses frame – the results of the deadly grip on his face before.

* * *

"Wow! So you're Tsuruga Ren's manager!" Shimura exclaimed in surprise, a hand on her agape mouth.

Yukihito chuckled dryly. "Yeah, I am. Are you a fan of his?"

"Well, I have to admit that he's good-looking," she said while looking up, tapping her chin with one finger. "And his acting is very good, but he's just... How to say it... Too dreamy to come true in reality."

His eyes widened. _Wow! This must be the first time a woman doesn't see Ren romantically! Well, except Kyoko, although now she's in love with him... No one has ever see me without seeing Ren first, and no woman has ever tried to become close to me without an agenda to get close to Ren as well._

"But it must be hard, right?" Shimura asked again, snapping him out of his train of thoughts. "Being a manager of someone so busy like him, I mean."

"Ah, well, it's hard," Yukihito said, laughing a little. "But I enjoy it. And he's rather easy to work with."

"Hmm... Is that so?" she murmured. Shimura then lifted up the beer bottle. "Do you want more drink?" she offered, smiling a very friendly smile at him.

He smiled apologetically at her. "No, Shimura-san, thank you, but I–"

Yukihito did not now what happened, but when he realized it less than a second after that, the bottle was suddenly shoved down his throat, the contents flowing directly into his stomach. In front of him, Shimura was smiling threateningly. "You're drinking more, _right_?"

He only nodded in fright, choking in process due to the bottle in his throat. _This woman is scary! Way scarier than our own Demon Queen!_

* * *

"This is good... Really good..." Lory said to himself, his eyes stuck to the screen in front of him, which was displaying Yukihito's current date. "The atmosphere is right, the partner's not love stricken by Ren, and he seems to be enjoying himself... As expected of Tae-chan! This is working!"

Someone cleared his throat behind Lory, and the flamboyant man turned around to see Sebastian. "Yes?"

"I am sorry to interrupt, Master," the butler said calmly, "but I do not think this is working as well as you hope, because I can see Yashiro-sama almost at the brink of his death."

Lory blinked, then turned back to the screen. "Oh," he said stoically. "You're right."

* * *

"So why do you work as a cabaret girl, Shimura-san?" Yukihito asked carefully, not risking his recently freed throat.

"Well," Shimura began, not exactly comfortable. She fidgeted on her seat, hands rubbing against each other nervously. "I need the money to support my little brother and to preserve our house. Getting a job with little qualification is rather hard, you see."

He raised an eyebrow. "Your house...?" he trailed inquiringly.

"It used to be a _dojo_, yet since our father passed away we don't exactly have a teacher to teach the student," she explained with a small smile that Yukihito felt was a fake. "My brother works as a freelancer at a friend's place, but it doesn't give a proper money flow. Someone has to earn the steady income."

"I see..." the bespectacled brunette mumbled. "Then, what made you agree to do this date?"

Shimura's lips twitched into an awkward smile. "Actually, about that–"

The door suddenly burst open, revealing a burly man in a business suit with a thin goatee and spiky black hair. In his hands, a beautiful bouquet of flowers was present, albeit was in the middle of being crushed in his strong grip.

Although his aura screamed superiority and capable leadership, his overall appearance – with all the muscles and body hair – gave an impression of a male gorilla to other people, not excluding Yukihito.

"Tae-chan!" he yelled determinedly, not heeding the comfort of the other patrons in the shop. "This time for sure, I'll make you my wife!"

"Oh no," Shimura scowled. "He appears again."

"Shi– Shimura-san," Yukihito stuttered in confusion over the sudden mood change of his date and the also sudden appearance of the strange man. "Who is that?"

"He's a stalker that has been bugging me for years, always persuading me to marry him. Yashiro-san, can you please help me?" And then she gave him puppy eyes not unlike Cain Heel's.

Our bespectacled manager gulped. "Err... Sure." He stood up and walked towards the burly man.

"Excuse me, Sir," he began, glaring at him like he did Ren's aggressive fans. "Shimura-san is disturbed greatly by your attempt to propose to her. Can you please kindly leave?"

The man glared back at him with his small narrow eyes. "What? So you're after Tae-chan as well?"

"No," Yukihito said. "But she asked me for help, so–"

He was cut off by a punch on the back of his head that sent him flying through the entrance door of the shop, and he landed on the pavement of the road, on the border of unconsciousness.

Near Yukihito's initial place, Shimura was enraged. "Are you saying that you don't desire me as a woman?!" she shouted in anger towards the bespectacled manager. "How dare you stomp on my value as the number one here!"

"Tae-chan!" the gorilla-man called her happily, tears brimming on the corner of his eyes. "So does that mean that you agree to marry me?"

He was answered by a punch right on his face, sending him flying as well towards Yukihito. Shimura screamed again, "Like hell I'll marry you, you gorilla!"

_What the heck is happening here? _Yukihito thought before losing himself to the darkness below the heavy body of the rejected proposer.

* * *

Some time later, Yukihito reached his apartment with the much welcomed help of Sebastian who had come back to 'Snack Smile' and picked him up. If the butler had been shocked with Yukihito's beaten up appearance, he had not shown it.

Putting on his latex gloves, he reached for his phone and dialed Ren's number.

"_Hello?_" the call was picked up after two rings.

"Ren," Yukihito mumbled painfully. "You're paying for my hospital fee."

"_What? What happened? And what did I do?_" Ren protested in a rather childish way.

"You let me go into that hell hole; that's what you did!" the brunette almost screamed in fright, remembering his recent date.

"... _The date went bad?_"

"Oh, shut up. And I swear, Tsuruga Ren, there will be no more day off for you. Not anymore."

* * *

**Additional Disclaimer:  
I do not own Shimura Tae and her persistent proposer. See if you can guess who owns them! The first person to answer right will receive a virtual cookie!**

**Please review :) Thank you!**


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